b. 09/12/1862 Hoboken, New Jersey. d. 27/03/1942 Boston, Massachusetts.
DATE OF MOH ACTION: 13/07/1900 Tientsin, China.
Andre W Brewster MOH
Andre Walker Brewster was born on December 9, 1862, in Hoboken, New Jersey. His mother was Mary Bache Walker (1839-1876), great-great-great granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin, daughter of Robert J. Walker, and sister of Duncan Stephen Walker. His father was Adrien Deslondes (also spelled Deslonde or Deslandes, etc.), a midshipman in the United States Navy whose family owned sugar plantations in Louisiana.
Adrien Deslondes and Mary Walker divorced in the mid 1860s. In 1870, Mary Walker married Benjamin H. Brewster, who adopted Andre Walker Deslondes and his siblings. Andre Brewster was raised and educated in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. He was trained as an attorney and practiced for three years before joining the Army.
In January 1885, Brewster received a direct commission as a second lieutenant in the 10th Infantry Regiment, a post which had also been sought by David L. Brainard. He served on frontier duty, including campaigns against the Apache and Sioux during the American Indian Wars.
During the Spanish–American War, Brewster commanded Company B, 9th Infantry. He took part in the Siege of Santiago and the Battle of San Juan Hill. He was recommended for brevet promotion to captain for his conduct at San Juan Hill. Following his service in Cuba, Brewster continued to command Company B during the Philippine Insurrection.
For his actions during the Boxer Rebellion on July 13, 1900 in Tientsin, China, while a Captain with the 9th U.S Infantry, he was awarded the Medal of Honor on September 15, 1903.
Brewster remained in China for five years as the U.S. military attaché. He then attended the Army War College, from which he graduated in 1907. In early 1909, he was appointed acting inspector general of the Army. The appointment was confirmed in December, and he held the post until 1913.
In 1914, Brewster was assigned to Puerto Rico as commander of the 65th Infantry Regiment. He then returned to the inspector general’s post, where he remained until 1917. During World War I, from June 1917 to September 1919, he served in France as Inspector General of General Headquarters, American Expeditionary Force (AEF). From 1921 to 1922, Brewster commanded the Second Coast Artillery District, headquartered at Fort Totten, New York. Brewster’s final command was the First Corps Area in Boston, Massachusetts, where he succeeded Clarence Ransom Edwards. He retired in 1925 with the rank of major general.
MOH CITATION:
While under fire rescued 2 of his men from drowning.
BURIAL LOCATION: ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA.
SECTION 2, GRAVE 1130
LOCATION OF MEDAL: FAMILY.
